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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23852107">First Steps Home</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/mage_cat/pseuds/mage_cat'>mage_cat</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Mending Bridges [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Catra (She-Ra) Redemption, Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 21:14:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,275</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23852107</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/mage_cat/pseuds/mage_cat</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The Rebellion sends a team to rescue Glimmer only for the team to discover that they are now part of an escape plan already in motion. A sequel to "New Foundations."</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Entrapta/Hordak (She-Ra)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Mending Bridges [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1683547</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>138</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Plan? What Plan?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mara’s ship wasn’t designed to carry a large crew. That meant to when the Rebellion went to rescue Glimmer, it had to be a bare-bones strike team. Bow and Entrapta were the only ones who had any confidence with new tech on the fly, something Prime’s ship was sure to have in abundance, and Adora would be there to lead them.</p>
<p>Bow, who had taken up piloting duties, had been waiting for Adora to let him in on the details of the plan, figuring that something in Adora’s training--either with the Horde or Light Hope--had given her insight into what they needed to do to at least begin the rescue. He began to feel uneasy as the ship announced that they had left Etheria’s atmosphere and he still had no idea what the next step would be after finding Horde Prime’s ship.</p>
<p>“Um, Adora? How does a spaceship sneak up on another spaceship?”</p>
<p>“How much different can it be to little boat sneaking up on a big boat?”</p>
<p>Bow gestured at a relevant display. “We’re using tech to find Horde Prime’s ship. Isn’t it likely that he has tech that can see us the same way?”</p>
<p>A voice came from somewhere embedded in the ship’s controls. “Message incoming. Would you care to answer?”</p>
<p>Adora froze for a moment before responding, “I guess, yes.”</p>
<p>The ship’s largest screen was filled with a pale face, the eyes green from edge to edge. “You must be the delegation we were told to expect. Please, proceed to the docking bay. We will inform Queen Glimmer to meet you. Please, leave all weapons on your ship.” The voice was bland and clearly assumed there could be no other explanation for who they were as the face disappeared from the screen as soon as the last word was uttered.</p>
<p>“Was that Hordak?” Bow asked.</p>
<p>“No,” said Entrapta with certainty. “Hordak’s a clone, but one Horde Prime considered... nonstandard. At a guess, I would say that was an example of a more typical result of the cloning process.”</p>
<p>“I wonder how many of those Prime keeps around,” Adora said.</p>
<p>The com screen began to display a map directing their ship to the mentioned docking bay. As they flew closer, the view of the ever-growing ship began to be overwhelming. Only in space could something be so big and still move.</p>
<p>“I don’t like the idea of leaving our weapons behind,” Bow said.</p>
<p>“They said Glimmer would be there to meet us,” Adora replied. “I’m hoping our luck improves and we’ll be able to just grab her and leave.”</p>
<p>“I don’t think the odds of that are very good,” said Entrapta.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Whatever hope they had of the mission being simple died when they saw exactly who was meeting them when they got off the ship. Glimmer was there, and she was standing, back straight in her most regal posture, at Horde Prime’s right hand.</p>
<p>He addressed her while never looking away from the new arrivals. “Queen Glimmer, would you inform me of who I will be dealing with?”</p>
<p>Glimmer’s voice was nearly as bland as the earlier clone’s had been as she said, “Horde Prime, these are Adora, She-Ra of Etheria and Administrator of the technical systems that run throughout the planet, Bow of the Makers’ Guild, and Entrapta of Dryl, two the Etheria’s brightest technical minds. Entrapta is also the eldest of the Etherian royals whose realms have had dealings with the Horde. All of them have held leadership positions equal to my own in the Rebellion.”</p>
<p>He focused on the purple-haired woman. “Would this be the same Entrapta that my wayward clone was so intrigued by?”</p>
<p>“Yes, Horde Prime, the same,” Glimmer answered. Adora motioned towards the ship. Glimmer gave a tiny shake of her head and spoke again. “Sire, I would not presume to tell you what to do, but I will vouch for Entrapta’s good behavior while she is here and advise you that treating her differently from the rest of the delegation might prolong the process they are here for. Might I take them to my quarters for a briefing before we discuss negotiations?”</p>
<p>“You may.”</p>
<p>Glimmer approached the three and held her arms out in front of her. “I suggest we go the quick way.” They all knew what that was a cue for.</p>
<hr/>
<p>One teleport later Glimmer’s face broke into a grin. “How was my performance?”</p>
<p>Bow hugged her. “Unnerving!”</p>
<p>“I’ve been getting tutoring in placating megalomaniacs.” After returning the hug for a moment, she stepped back. “He thinks you’re here to negotiate surrender by the way.”</p>
<p>Before any of them could properly react to that, a delighted version of Hordak’s voice came from a gray blur descending from somewhere near the ceiling. “Entrapta!”</p>
<p>“Imp!” Entrapta cried as she caught the creature.</p>
<p>He opened his mouth, releasing a gentle female voice. “You’re safe here.” The voice twisted into sarcasm, causing the faces of the three to shift in recognition. “Prime’s been magnanimous and promised us our privacy”</p>
<p>“Hey, Adora.” The same voice came from a previously unnoticed corner of the room, now attached to its original source. “Bow.” Catra hesitated. “Entrapta.”</p>
<p>Adora began to launch herself at her, but Glimmer’s arm across her chest brought her up short.</p>
<p>“Stop. We would all be dead right now if it wasn’t for Catra.”</p>
<p>“You trust people too easily when you think they’re useful.”</p>
<p>“I trust my truth spells.”</p>
<p>“After everything she’s done?”</p>
<p>“She can help get my mother back. The way things went down with the portal, she knows things no one else does.” Glimmer paused as if considering if she should say the next thing. “While under the truth spell, she also said my dad’s alive.”</p>
<p>Bow and Adora exchanged a meaningful look, and he said, “He was on Beast Island. He’s holding down the fort at Bright Moon now. He and Shadow Weaver have a history, so he’s confined her to her room unless she’s being supervised by at least one person capable of magic.”</p>
<p>“Thank goodness. It saves me the trouble.”</p>
<p>Adora’s face hardened again. “I thought you were enjoying being Shadow Weaver’s new favorite.”</p>
<p>“Maybe I wouldn’t have gotten so cozy with her if, instead of vaguely talking about how evil she was, you had given me some concrete examples. You know, like the fact that she had tortured children in front of you!”</p>
<p>“She had tortured you!”</p>
<p>“She didn’t do it for over a decade starting from when I was six!”</p>
<p>“Sparkles,” Catra broke in. “I appreciate what you’re doing, but is this the time?”</p>
<p>Glimmer took a steadying breath. “No, it’s not.” She turned to face Catra properly. “Think we can get the plan to work now?”</p>
<p>“Best chance we’re ever going to get. Entrapta, I am so glad you are alive.”</p>
<p>Entrapta clutched Imp closer. “No thanks to you.”</p>
<p>Catra bit her lip. “I thought you were turning into my enemy, and I panicked. Only an idiot would underestimate you and the damage you could do to someone if you thought you had to. I’m sorry. It would have been smarter for me to try to stay on your good side. I want to hear your theories on some things.”</p>
<p>Her grip on Imp relaxed a fraction. “Your potential data on the portal tech is intriguing...”</p>
<p>“Portal later. I promise. We need your theories on something more pressing.” Catra held out her hand, and a glowing amber orb the size of her fist began to hover above it. “How am I suddenly doing this? Could the Heart be drawing energy from more than just the planet? Could it be pulling magic from the people?”</p>
<p>Entrapta leaned toward the light. “Fascinating. That would explain the metric I couldn’t make sense of.” She looked up at Catra’s face “On Beast Island, there was a First Ones database, including a bunch of profiles for potential colonist species. Biological requirements, potential for dissent against imperial rule if allowed to remain on their home planets, and this one calculation that could have been how effectively they could power the Heart.”</p>
<p>“We know releasing all of the Heart’s energy the way it was designed would be bad, but could we return that energy back to the people?”</p>
<p>“I would have to take a closer look at the Heart, or at least its schematics.”</p>
<p>“Wait,” Adora said. “The Heart is doing what?”</p>
<p>Catra turned to her, the sphere of light disappearing.“Short version. Best that we can tell? Magic should be way more common in the Etherian population than it is. Anyone on the surface gets drained of their power the same way the magic of the planet itself gets collected.”</p>
<p>Glimmer continued. “That’s probably why Mystacor is airborne. The Princesses still have some of our magic because we are connected to the Heart through the Runestones.”</p>
<p>“Just some of your magic?” Entrapta asked.</p>
<p>“Oh yeah.” Glimmer moved her cape to one side. Her wings--which, like Queen Angella’s, were always more like solid energy that matter--still didn’t match the majestic sweep of her mother’s, but she wouldn’t be readily hiding them under a shirt again either. “I have definitely been running at a lower charge than I should have been.”</p>
<p>Catra spoke again. “Alright. We have a plan of action once we get back to the planet. Now to get out of here and over there.”</p>
<p>“Right,” said Glimmer. “Bow, Entrapta, Catra will lead you to do some industrial sabotage and, if we’re lucky, a little theft. Adora, you and I are going to go hit some things very hard. We can talk on the way.”</p>
<p>“Why can’t we just teleport to the ship and leave?” Adora asked.</p>
<p>Catra answered, “We try that and Prime will just use his transporter tech to beam us back here, and he won’t be near as polite afterwards. Hence the sabotage.”</p>
<p>“Why are you doing this?”</p>
<p>“I don’t trust any authority higher than my own, and Horde Prime thinks he is the highest authority in the universe.”</p>
<p>“Makes sense to me,” said Entrapta.</p>
<p>Adora glared at the person she had once called her best friend. “I’ll be watching you.”</p>
<p>“Not until Sparkles takes you to the rendezvous point.”</p>
<p>As the shimmer of Glimmer and Adora teleporting away faded, Catra turned to her new teammates. “Alright, first step is to see if we can steal ourselves a clone. Hordak thought conquering a planet would impress Horde Prime, but the only thing Prime is ever impressed with is himself. He doesn’t like his clones being people. As soon as we were on the ship he put Hordak under… I don’t think it was a mindwipe. I think it was a personality suppressor or something. If anyone can wake him up,” she pulled something out of a pocket and pressed it into Entrapta’s hand, “it’s you.” It was the crystal Entrapta had used to power the armor she had made for Hordak. “He was really broken up about it when he thought you had betrayed him. When he found out I had lied about that, he tried very hard to kill me for it. I may not understand what you two have going on, but I understand that it’s important to you two.”</p>
<p>Bow said, “So step one of your plan is...”</p>
<p>The look on Catra’s face said she couldn’t quite believe what she was about to say either. “To save Hordak.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Saving Who?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Bow looked understandably bewildered. “Why do we need to save Hordak?”</p>
<p>“First,” Catra answered, “while I’m sure the two of you could mess up the transporter mechanisms well enough for us to make it back to the planet, the longer they are out of commission, the better. For that we need someone with more experience with the tech, which means Hordak. Second,” she pointed at Entrapta, “are you really going to look into those big, pink eyes and tell her ‘no’?”</p>
<p>Bow made the mistake of looking into those eyes, open wide and shining with hope at the idea of rescuing Hordak of all people. He turned back to Catra, “And just what do you expect us to do with him once we’re back on Etheria?”</p>
<p>Catra shrugged. “Put him under house arrest in Dryl? The Alliance could even mandate directions for his research.”</p>
<p>Entrapta’s face split with an ear-to-ear smile. “I approve of this plan!”</p>
<p>“He did all this for Prime’s approval. Now, he’s seen that striving for that was pointless. His choices are to let himself be wiped away, or to find a better alternative. I just want to give him the choice.”</p>
<p>Bow sighed. “Fine. Let’s go.”</p>
<p>“Imp is going to have to make himself scarce,” said Catra, pointing to the creature perched on Entrapta’s shoulder.</p>
<p>“Why?” she asked.</p>
<p>“Horde Prime sees Hordak as a defect fit only to die. How do you think he feels about Imp?”</p>
<p>Entrapta tucked the crystal in her pocket and held Imp in front of her. “If I wrap you in my hair, will you be alright in there?” Imp nodded and nestled himself in a thick tendril that Entrapta looped over one arm.</p>
<p>As Catra moved towards the door she said, “If we get stopped, I’m taking you to the reconditioning room to reassure you that Prime has taken care of Hordak--sorry, if we’re stopped he’s clone K-18--while Adora and Glimmer are working out a personal matter.”</p>
<hr/>
<p>In the best luck any of them had had in a week, they reached the reconditioning room without incident. Inside, Hordak floated upright in a tube of green liquid, cables plugged into ports in his back laid bare by a dark garment that didn’t cover much. Overly exposed and completely slack, it was easy to imagine him as little more than a dead skeleton.</p>
<p>Entrapta stood in front of the tube. She had released her hold on Imp in the same moment that her face fell into wide-eyed worry. “What are they doing to him?”</p>
<p>“Honestly,” Catra said, “Prime explained it, but I don’t have the background to understand most of the technical language he used, and what I did understand, I don’t want to think about hard enough to repeat properly. I think I understand these controls though.”</p>
<p>After a moment, the liquid drained and the sides of the tube retracted into the floor. Hordak would have hung imply from the cables if Entrapta had not rushed to hold him up.</p>
<p>“Hordak? Hordak?!”</p>
<p>“Even if he can hear you right now, he can’t react,” Catra explained.</p>
<p>“Do you know where the armor I made for him is?”</p>
<p>Imp broke away towards a nearby storage area and pointed to one of the containers. Together, Bow and Catra got it down and opened it, finding the armor. Entrapta quickly started disconnecting the cables and fitting the armor in place. Even if it was only visual, it had the effect making him seem less like a corpse and more like something that could operate as a person as it helped Entrapta hold him sitting upright.</p>
<p>When she was done, she pulled the crystal out of her pocket. “Please work,” she begged it as she slipped the crystal into the socket that she had designed to hold it.</p>
<p>“If his eyes are green when they open, we may have to run,” Catra said.</p>
<p>“You couldn’t have mentioned that before now?” Bow whispered fiercely.</p>
<p>Catra shrugged.</p>
<p>Hordak’s eyes opened blessedly red and focused on the woman who was smiling at him, her own eyes filling with tears of relief. “Entrapta?” His voice was little more than a disused croak. “How?”</p>
<p>“Bow and Adora got me off of Beast Island in exchange for Scorpia joining the Rebellion,” she said as she pulled him up standing, her hair holding her up to match him in height. “Catra lead us here.”</p>
<p>“You came for me?”</p>
<p>She smiled wiping the tears from her eyes with her hair as her hands kept a firm grip on Hordak’s. “Of course I did. You’re the best lab partner I ever had.”</p>
<p>For the first time, he looked away from Entrapta and took in their surroundings. His gaze fixed on Catra. “Force Captain,” he said coldly.</p>
<p>“If you really need it, I could try to explain to you right now why I did not feel bad messing with the head of the person who suffocated me twice and sent me out on a suicide mission, but we are short on time. Just know that I actually do think that there are some fates that not even you are bad enough to deserve. Now do you want to help us sabotage your big brother’s transporters and join us in getting out of here or not?”</p>
<p>As the two seemed determined to stare each other down, even while Hordak and Entrapta continued to hold hands, Bow said, “Entrapta, would like to to see how the transporters work?”</p>
<p>Entrapta jerked as if waking up, her hands finally leaving Hordak’s with the motion. “I would love to see how the transporters work.” She turned back to Hordak, regaining his attention. “Dismantling the components would be very informative.”</p>
<p>They could practically see the wheels turning in Hordak’s mind as he considered if he could really turn his back on Prime, on everything he had ever known and worked towards.</p>
<p>Imp scurried up onto his shoulder, where Hordak almost automatically began to scratch under his chin.</p>
<p>“I worried about you.”</p>
<p>Horde Prime’s and Catra’s voices came in quick succession. “Destroy that disappointment. You’re safe here.”</p>
<p>Hordak looked at Catra. “Do you already know how to reach the transporter systems?”</p>
<hr/>
<p>They hadn’t been able to snoop around enough to figure out how they could reach the transporter systems. Imp could find them through the vent shafts, but that didn’t match up closely enough with the corridors. With Imp once more swaddled in Entrapta’s hair, the group looked almost like a standard diplomatic delegation with a clone escort.</p>
<p>Almost.</p>
<p>Another Horde clone stopped them. “K-18. You are supposed to still be undergoing reconditioning.”</p>
<p>It was Catra who answered. “Horde Prime thought it would be best if the one playing guide for the Etherian delegation had as much knowledge of the planet as possible. That left him with only one option. K-18 is leading us too...” She turned to Hordak. “Where exactly are we headed again?”</p>
<p>Hordak blinked and answered, “The aft-ward conference room.”</p>
<p>“If I understood correctly,” Catra continued turning back to the clone, “that is where we will be handling the negotiations.”</p>
<p>The clone stepped aside and allowed them to move on.</p>
<p>Once they were out of earshot, Hordak muttered, “Your skill with lying continues to be unsettling.”</p>
<p>“If you didn’t want practiced liars within your ranks,” Catra said in the same low tones, “you shouldn’t have given Shadow Weaver charge of the cadets.”</p>
<p>“If I had been wise regarding Shadow Weaver, I never would have employed her at all. I fail to understand why you were so reluctant to send her to Beast Island.”</p>
<p>Catra’s stride never broke. “I needed something from her first.”</p>
<p>“I told you at the time that whatever information she had was not worth the risk of keeping her in the Fright Zone.”</p>
<p>“Information was an excuse I was able to give you. I wanted something else.” She was silent for several steps. “After going through all the trouble of supplanting her, even if she would never apologize for the way she had treated me all those years, I thought she could have at least admitted that I proved to be a worthy opponent rather than a worthless disappointment. It was dumb of me.”</p>
<p>Hordak seemed to consider what she had just said. “I suppose I do understand that impulse.” Silence hung between them for a few more moments. “Shadow Weaver was shortsighted. When not engaged in duplicity, you performed admirably.”</p>
<p>“Horde Prime is shortsighted too. His obsession with perfection means that he doesn’t see the good in unexpected results. We can use that against him.”</p>
<p>Hordak stopped in front of a door. “We’re here.”</p>
<p>“Great,” Catra said as they stepped inside and closed the door. “I’ll handle lookout duty while you three tech heads get to work. Remember, we want this out of commission for as long as possible. If any components are useful for portal technology and small enough to carry, we want to take them with us.”</p>
<p>“How will we get them to the rendezvous point without being noticed?” Bow asked.</p>
<p>“This is the rendezvous point.” Catra held up her Force Captain badge and pressed on it, turning the face red. “Glimmer has a tracker. When she and Adora have cleared the docking bay, she’ll come get us.”</p>
<p>An alarm began to sound. “Well, they’ve certainly made some progress in the docking bay,” Catra said. “Work fast and hope they don’t figure out where we are quickly.”</p>
<p>While Hordak directed Bow and Entrapta in pulling this and grabbing that, Catra set to work mutilating the mechanism that would allow the door to open. A haphazard pile had built up around the team’s feet when something began banging on the door.</p>
<p>Glimmer teleported in. “Ready?”</p>
<p>Hordak looked up. “I’m unsure the exact state of the supply lines at present, but this will take some time to repair.”</p>
<p>“We’ll take it.”</p>
<p>Entrapta swept the pile of parts up in her hair as they held hands and Imp clutched Hordak’s shoulder.</p>
<p>“Hold tight, Hordak,” Catra said. “The first teleport is the worst.”</p>
<p>In a gut-churning blink they were next to the ship the rescue team had arrived in, the docking bay around it thoroughly trashed with several unconscious Horde clones on the floor.</p>
<p>They rushed onboard. Bow slid into the pilot’s seat. Catra stood next to him, clutching the seat back with her eyes fixed on the freedom beyond the ship’s front screen. Hordak sat down heavily in the back of the ship, wrapped firmly in Entrapta’s hair with Imp in his lap. Adora and Glimmer sounded like they were picking up an argument where they had left off before Glimmer had teleported away and back.</p>
<p>Minutes passed. The ship continued to fly towards Etheria’s surface. Catra’s grip on the pilot’s seat loosened, and she began to make out details of Glimmer and Adora’s exchange.</p>
<p>“Your mother told me to look after you.”</p>
<p>“That’s not what she said,” Catra cut in.</p>
<p>Glimmer’s head jerked towards her. “It’s not?”</p>
<p>“She said, ‘Take care of each other.’ I’m not surprised you misremembered it, Adora. You never really understood what the phrase means.”</p>
<p>Adora crossed her arms. “And what exactly do you mean by that?”</p>
<p>Catra’s arm swept outward. “Look at the people around you. Where do you think we would be without you? Do you think we would all be helpless without you around to play hero? Where do you think you would be without us? What does our support mean to you? I’ve tried to tell you before. Being your sidekick is kind of a shit job.”</p>
<p>Glimmer added, “Honestly, I’m surprised Catra didn’t snap and start trying to kill you years sooner than she did. It only took me a few months to get sick of you acting like I couldn’t know what’s best for me.”</p>
<p>“Maybe you should ask yourself what it is about you that led two different people to risk tearing the planet apart just to have the chance to prove you wrong.”</p>
<p>“It wasn’t <em>just </em>to prove her wrong.”</p>
<p>Bow’s voice was was slightly too loud as he said “Wow! I am way to busy flying this ship to have an opinion in this conversation.”</p>
<p>Catra leaned back on the pilot’s seat. “You’ve been taking the brunt of it lately, huh?”</p>
<p>His eyes stayed resolutely fixed forward. “Still too busy flying.”</p>
<p>She turned back to Adora. “You went from being Shadow Weaver’s favorite to being the Sword’s Chosen One. You have ridden through life with power others gave you, and it sure does feel like you think that makes you better than the rest of us.”</p>
<p>Adora tightened her jaw. “I broke the Sword. It was the only way to stop the Heart from going off.”</p>
<p>Catra turned back towards the front of the ship. “Maybe you’ll finally learn how the rest of us get through life.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Landing</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The tension on the ship stayed thick and silent until the spires of Bright Moon began to distinguish themselves from the rest of the upcoming landscape.</p><p>Glimmer touched Bow’s shoulder. “He’s really down there?”</p><p>He reached up to hold her hand. “Yeah, he is.”</p><p>“Tell me about him?”</p><p>“He didn’t realize how much time was passing on the island. When we said we knew you, he thought you were still a little kid. I don’t think he really believed how many years it had been until he saw Mermista and Perfuma. We’ve been filling him in as best we can. Your Aunt Casta’s visited. She’s filled him in more and insisted he actually get one full night’s sleep. Pretty sure magic was involved in that.” Bow smiled. “He’s exactly what I would expect from someone who was your dad: strong, stubborn, and kind of goofy. I like him.”</p><p>When the ship landed, there were two people waiting. To make a point, Glimmer and Catra disembarked hand in hand. That grip was quickly dropped when Glimmer and King Micah locked eyes. Catra didn’t hear what they said to each other as Scorpia rushed up to her.</p><p>“Catra! You’re here! And you’re not tied up or anything!”</p><p>“Glimmer and I worked some things out, and Horde Prime’s job offer was terrible.”</p><p>“I’m sorry I--”</p><p>Catra placed a hand on Scorpia’s arm and said firmly, “No. I promised myself that I was going to apologize to you the first chance I got. You have nothing to be sorry for.” Her voice softened. “I was losing it, and you were not going to be able to pull me back from that edge by yourself. I needed a wake-up call, and--well--that note you left was an important first step.” A weak smile crossed her face. “You wanna hear something dumb? It took me way too long to realize that you weren’t faking being nice or caring about me.”</p><p>Scorpia smiled back. “Hey. I grew up in the Horde too. I get why you thought that. It’s sad, but it’s not dumb.” She swept her up into a hug, and possibly for the first time, Catra did nothing to fight it.</p><p>Glimmer placed her hand where Scorpia’s arm met Catra’s back, calling both our their attentions to her and prompting Scorpia to put Catra down.</p><p>“I’m bringing Entrapta and Hordak to Dryl before him being here causes a riot.”</p><p>“I’ll try not to cause one while you’re gone,” said Catra.</p><p>“I’ll help,” added Scorpia.</p><p>As Glimmer walked back to where her soon-to-be passengers had stayed hovering near the door of the ship, Micah approached them.</p><p>“So you’re Catra. Glimmer says you saved her life, which in my mind outweighs anything else you may have done, and Shadow Weaver doesn’t have a single good thing to say about you, which means we’ll probably get along great.”</p><p>“I’m glad to hear that.”</p><p>“I also hear that you have the makings of a pretty good sorceress. After you’ve gotten some rest, I’d love to see what you can do. Then, maybe I could show you what else you can do.” He looked over at his daughter as she teleported away. “I dreamed about teaching Glimmer sorcery for a long time, but I was expecting to teach a little girl, not a grown queen. Now, I think I would like having a second student around in case things get awkward between us.”</p><p>Catra smiled, feeling a tiny flicker of the hope she didn’t really trust yet. A movement of green at the edge of her vision caught her attention.</p><p>“There’s one spell Glimmer taught me that I can show you right now.” She gave him a moment to recognize the rune and nod his consent before calling out. “Double Trouble!”</p><p>In rapid succession the rune hit their chest, and they went sprawling on their back with Catra seated firmly on the center of mass that they shifted their shape around.</p><p>“I hardly think I deserve--” They choked on their words. “Actually I fully deserve this.” They sighed. “Of course as soon as you start slinging runes around, you learn a truth spell.” They both flicked their eyes to the side as Adora strode over. “Stand down, lovely. Catra won’t hurt me unless I give her a reason, and you would probably agree with her reasons once you’ve calmed down.” Adora was pulled away by Bow as Double Trouble’s attention refocused on Catra. “To what interrogation do I owe the pleasure of you straddling me?”</p><p>“You have proven that your loyalty belongs to the highest bidder. Horde Prime can bid very high. Would you sell us out to him, or do even you have your limits?”</p><p>“I have my limits.”</p><p>“And just what are those limits?”</p><p>They grimaced. The spell would ensure that anything they said would be the truth. It didn’t actually force them to talk. That’s what Catra’s claws pricking into their shoulders were for in this equation. Their mouth worked, searching for a phrasing they could live with. “I would never do anything to jeopardize the safety of Green Glen.”</p><p>“And just what makes Green Glen so special?”</p><p>“It’s home. The fortunes of Green Glen rise and fall on the skills of its spies. My mercenary work is intended to be a... journeyman’s phase of my career before I return to do my duty for the realm. Aiding someone who would destroy it would be a failure. A Horde led by you might have worked out an amicable agreement with the royal family if it came down to it. Horde Prime shows no signs of similar inclinations.”</p><p>“Is that why you sought me out? Ensuring the safety of Green Glen?”</p><p>“Part of it.”</p><p>“Tell me another part of it.”</p><p>“The stories around you intrigued me. Your masterful performance at the All Princess Ball. Your swift takeover of the Crimson Waste. The size of the rumored bounty that had been on you for years.”</p><p>Catra sat back and crossed her arms. “Okay, that last one is news. Tell me more about that.”</p><p>“Bounties on missing children aren’t unusual. Word spreads faster when there’s an incentive. It is unusual for people to remember an unclaimed bounty well over a decade later, but understandable when the reward is that high. It seems that to someone out there you--or at least someone with your very distinctive eyes--are worth a princess’s ransom. I wish I could tell you more, but I never got a hold of the exact details.” Double Trouble smirked. “Anything else you need to know the truth about? I could dish all kinds of juicy details about the romantic lives of the Bright Moon kitchen staff.”</p><p>Catra gestured to dismiss the spell and stood up. “Go.”</p><p>“One more truth,” Double Trouble said as they rose. “You don’t have to magic it out of me. It’s good to see you again, kitten. The world without your smile in it is a little bit duller. Such a natural agent of chaos as yourself shouldn’t be so grim. I hope your new path makes it come out a bit more often, and I look forward to watching you wreak righteous havoc if you’ll allow me to assist.”</p><p>Catra smirked, “No rest for the wicked. We need all the help we can get.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>That's it for First Steps Home. Keep an eye out for some one-shots of Catra in the Rebellion coming as quick as I can. Let's see how much I can do before Season 5 makes this all AU.</p>
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